1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for evaluating motivational skills in human test subjects. More particularly, it is a method and associated apparatus for diagnosing motivational skill deficiencies, for prescribing appropriate motivational training programs, and for enhancing the effects of those programs.
2. Background
The attainment of any human goal requires the successful completion of a variety of goal-related activities. The more effort and ability that an individual brings to these activities, the more likely they are to be successfully accomplished. If an individual fails to invest the necessary effort in goal-related activities, he or she can be described as having a deficiency in one or more motivational skills. Motivational skills are defined as those skills which enable an individual to increase the level of effort he or she brings to goal-related activities. Different kinds of motivational skills are required to solve the full range of motivational problems that an individual encounters in carrying out an activity. These motivational capabilities are appropriately described as skills because they represent human capabilities that can be developed through instruction and training. Because different motivational skill deficiencies will require different forms of instruction and training, it is important to determine which skill deficiencies are responsible for the lack of goal-related effort observed in a given individual.
It is common in the art to determine the disposition, traits, or characteristics of human test subjects by asking them to select appropriate responses to printed statements, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,010 issued to Von Fellenberg. It is also common in the art to distinguish among several kinds of dispositions within a more general domain, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,927 issued to Newman. Although there are some procedures available for determining the level of one motivational skill or another, there is no single instrument which assesses the full range of known motivational skills. The present invention is designed to be comprehensive by virtue of assessing six general categories of human motivational skills.
It is sometimes necessary in the art to use nonverbal means to depict a particular disposition to a human test subject, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,927 issued to Newman. Such means are important for communicating the disposition clearly and for engaging the interest and attention of the human test subject. Such means are also important for simplifying the interpretation of an individual's responses. Some procedures designed for use with young children involve response choices which vary in magnitude so as to depict increasing amounts of a given disposition. However, no procedure involves response choices in which visual representations of a disposition vary so as to depict increasing amounts of that disposition. The present invention makes use of distinctive and theoretically-prescribed visual representations to indicate each category of motivational skill. Each representation is shown as progressively modified so to provide response choices that reflect different levels of proficiency in a particular category of motivational skill.
It is common in the art to evaluate a capability so as to be able to recommend subsequent instruction or training that would develop that specific capability. This kind of diagnostic evaluation is useful because it ensures that remediation efforts are effective and efficient. Means for diagnostic evaluation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,426 issued to Brigance and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,339 issued to Jones. Procedures are not available for the evaluation of motivational skill because motivation is not usually understood as a capability that can be developed through instruction and training. Diagnostic procedures are not available because it has not been clearly recognized that there are distinguishable motivational skills, each requiring different forms of instruction and training. The present invention links each category of motivational skill to a particular body of scientific research so that appropriate techniques can be selected to develop that motivational capability.
It is common in the art to devise means for enhancing the effectiveness or the efficiency of efforts to modify human capabilities. A means for enhancing mental imaging capabilities is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,266 issued to Conway. A means for enhancing emotional capabilities is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,927 issued to Newman. Such means are particularly important in the development of motivational skills because individuals may not be able to focus clearly on the skill to be enhanced nor be able to recognize clearly when increased proficiency has been attained. In general, training efforts are more successful when instructional goals are clearly specified and when relevant feedback is clearly provided. The visual representations of each category of motivational skill available in the present invention make it possible to target specific motivational objectives and to provide informative feedback on the current level of each motivational skill.
The present invention affords a procedure for a comprehensive and diagnostic assessment of human motivational skills. Because it depicts those skills visually, the procedure is appealing to a wide range of individuals and is flexible enough to be adapted to the assessment of human motivation in any setting. The procedure can be used on an individual or group basis to diagnose motivational deficiencies, to prescribe training programs, to assist in the implementation of those programs, and to evaluate their effects.